Technologies

Perseid meteor shower 2021 peaks this week: How to watch the sparkling show

The Perseids will peak on Aug. 11 in the US, but you can catch them blazing across the sky right now. Here’s how.

The Perseid meteor shower, a stunning celestial display, delivers eye-opening shooting stars that can be seen blazing over Earth. We can thank debris from comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle for the spectacle. You don’t want to miss the shower, and here’s how you can see it as it ramps up.

According to NASA, the annual Perseids are active from now through Aug. 24. The space agency says it’s «considered the best meteor shower of the year.» Meteor activity will peak on the night of Aug. 11 and morning of Aug. 12, though NASA also calls out the night of Aug. 12 and morning of Aug. 13 as another great skywatching opportunity.

«The meteors are best viewed from the northern hemisphere, and in ideal conditions with no clouds observers could see up to 50 an hour,» the Royal Astronomical Society said in a statement about the peak, which will be on the night of Aug. 12 for the UK and Europe. The moon will be staying low-key, giving watchers a nice dark sky to work with.

The Perseids are popular for their reliability and the potential for spectacular fireballs. «The Perseids are one of the most plentiful showers (50 to 100 meteors seen per hour) and occur with warm summer nighttime weather, allowing sky watchers to easily view them,» said NASA in a Perseids explainer geared for the Northern Hemisphere.

On July 26, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center shared an image of a streaking Perseid meteor spotted by a camera at the Mount Lemmon Observatory in Arizona.

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Fireballs can happen when larger pieces of comet debris strike the atmosphere, creating long, bright streaks, the kind that make you say «Whoa!» Ready to get excited? Check out these photos from last year’s shower:

Catch a shooting star

At its simplest, viewing the meteor shower is just about heading out at night and looking up, but there are some steps you can take to improve your chances at catching a good show. You’re in luck if you’re a super-early riser. The pre-dawn hours are a prime viewing time, but NASA also says you can see the meteors as early as 10 p.m. local time.

Some of the biggest obstacles to good meteor viewing are cloudy weather and light pollution. Aim for a clear night and try to get away from city lights. A hammock, blanket or a chair that leans back will save you from craning your neck. Give your eyes plenty of time to adjust to the darkness.

You can spot the meteors anywhere in the sky, though they get their name because they appear to be radiating from the constellation Perseus. To find Perseus, check out a stargazing app that will help you locate the constellation. Perseus isn’t the actual source of the shower, but it can be helpful in tracking down the sometimes elusive streaks of light.

Watch a livestream

The Virtual Telescope Project will host a livestreamed Perseids viewing session on Aug. 10 at 5 p.m. PT. «This year, the sky conditions will be perfect, with no moon interference,» said VTP founder Gianluca Masi in an announcement.

NASA will offer a livestream hosted by the Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center. The streams kicks off at 8 p.m. PT on Aug. 11 on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube.

You don’t have to wait for the mid-August peak to enjoy the action. A dark spot on a clear night can deliver a worthwhile viewing experience throughout the Perseids’ visit. Catch those shooting stars while you can.

Follow CNET’s 2021 Space Calendar to stay up to date with all the latest space news this year. You can even add it to your own Google Calendar.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Aug. 13, #1516: Did You Know This Word?

Here are hints and the answer for today’s super-difficult Wordle for Aug. 13, No. 1,516

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle is a pretty tough one. It describes a drink that most Americans have probably never tried before, and the letters aren’t super common, either. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has two vowels.

Wordle hint No. 3: Start letter.

Today’s Wordle answer begins with K.

Wordle hint No. 4:Drink up

Today’s Wordle refers to a beverage.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer refers to a fermented milk drink with a sour taste, which originates from the Caucasus Mountains.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is KEFIR.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, Aug. 12, No. 1515 was NOMAD.

Recent Wordle answers

Aug. 8, No. 1511: IMBUE

Aug. 9, No. 1512: NASAL

Aug. 10, No. 1513: MINTY

Aug. 11, No. 1514: SOUTH

What’s the best Wordle starting word?

Don’t be afraid to use our tip sheet ranking all the letters in the alphabet by frequency of uses. In short, you want starter words that lean heavy on E, A and R, and don’t contain Z, J and Q.

Some solid starter words to try:

ADIEU

TRAIN

STARE

NOISE

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Aug. 13, #794

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Aug. 13, #794.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

I loved the blue group in today’s NYT Connections puzzle. And if you’re a music lover who’s always found band names interesting, you might, too. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Fascinate.

Green group hint: Just a part of something.

Blue group hint: Think band names.

Purple group hint: Shape on a certain Hollywood sidewalk.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Captivate.

Green group: Excerpt.

Blue group: Member of a girl group.

Purple group: Star ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is captivate. The four answers are charm, entrance, rivet and thrill.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is excerpt. The four answers are clip, extract, passage and quote.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is member of a girl group. The four answers are Bangle, Chick, Go-Go and Supreme.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is star ____. The four answers are board, fish, gate and struck.

Toughest Connections puzzles

We’ve made a note of some of the toughest Connections puzzles so far. Maybe they’ll help you see patterns in future puzzles.

#5: Included «things you can set,» such as mood, record, table and volleyball.

#4: Included «one in a dozen,» such as egg, juror, month and rose.

#3: Included «streets on screen,» such as Elm, Fear, Jump and Sesame.

#2: Included «power ___» such as nap, plant, Ranger and trip.

#1: Included «things that can run,» such as candidate, faucet, mascara and nose.

Technologies

Act Quickly Because the Beats Solo 4 Wireless Headphones Are 50% Off, but Not for Long

If you’re quick, you can snag the Beats Solo 4 headphones for just $100, with several colors to choose from.

If you’re looking at getting some shiny new headphones, and you want a serious audio upgrade, then you could be staring down at a nasty price tag. Thankfully, there can be some amazing deals here and there. Right now, that includes getting a pair of Beats Solo 4 headphones for half-price.

That means you can get these excellent headphones for just $100, and you can choose from a few different colors as well. These are excellent headphones, but the deal won’t last long, so we recommend snapping them up now if you want them.

As far as headphone deals go, you won’t want to miss this one. The Beats Solo 4 headphones have plenty going for them, including a 50-hour battery life, so you won’t need to reach for the charger that often. And when you do need to charge them up, a 10-minute charge gives you 5 hours of listening time. If you prefer to listen with a cable instead of wirelessly, you can do so with the Beats Solo 4, which includes support for high-quality audio.

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CNET’s audio expert David Carnoy rated the Beats Solo 4 highly in his full review last year but advised readers to wait for them to drop to $130 or so. The colors on sale for $100 include matte black, pink and blue, and all have custom acoustic architecture and updated drivers to offer the signature sound from Beats. If you’re a fan of bass, you won’t be disappointed. The adjustable earcups and UltraPlush cushions ensure long listening sessions are comfortable.

HEADPHONE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones (Navy):

$298 (save $50)
Soundcore Life Q20 Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black):

$40 (save $20)
Beats Studio Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black):

$300 (save $51)
Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless ANC Over-Ear Headphones (Black):

$299 (save $151)
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e ANC Over-Ear Headphones (Black):

$220 (save $180)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

The Apple-owned Beats brand is iconic, and this is your chance to put a pair of the company’s popular headphones in your tech bag at a huge saving. Getting anything for half the price is an incredible opportunity. Being able to pick your color sweetens the deal, but the limited-time nature of the deal does mean you need to act sooner rather than later.